


Winners

by shedrovemehere



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment, 新日本プロレス | New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Genre: Kayfabe Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14294067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shedrovemehere/pseuds/shedrovemehere
Summary: In some alternate reality, Kota could have won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania. So how does he feel as he watches Cedric Alexander's victory speech?





	Winners

 

* * *

“What are you watching? Is that—“ Kenny didn’t bother to hide his delight at Kota’s slight guilt. “Ibutan, are you watching WWE?”

Kota quickly covered the laptop screen with his hands, as if that would be enough to make Kenny forget what he’d seen. “I just… sometimes… I like to know what happens!”

Kota’s disproportionate embarrassment was too adorable, so Kenny scaled back the jokes that were coming to his mind. “205 Live? This doesn’t even have Japanese commentary.” Kota searched for something to say; in some alternate reality, he would have been the star of that show. Kenny laughed, but immediately understood. “I’d be curious too,” he said seriously, sitting down next to Kota on the couch.

On the screen, Cedric Alexander, holding his newly-won title belt, beamed in humbled gratitude as chants of _you deserve it!_  rang through the SuperDome. Drake Maverick, 205 Live’s General Manager, grabbed Alexander’s arm, and with a fierce pride in his eyes, gestured to the crowd, repeating their words.  _“_ _You deserve it._ _”_ Alexander took the mic.  _“Two years ago, you all chanted ‘please sign Cedric’, and because of your love and support, I was able to make it to WrestleMania...”_

“Did you catch that Ibutan? Those ‘please sign Cedric' chants were because of his match with _you_ , remember?” Kenny half-laughed, half swooned, trying to tease Kota but remembering how genuinely breathtaking the match had been.  _Not that that's uncommon for you._  “That,” he said, pointing at Alexander, who looked every bit the handsome and deserving champion, “could have been _you._ ”

Kota peered at the man on the screen. “You know, I barely remember that match?” He looked down at his hands. “I wasn’t really all there, at the time,” he said quietly.

Kenny’s jaw tightened as he brushed up against that uncomfortable truth again: _you left to forget about me._  Kota had dazzled them, of course; they'd wanted him to be the face of the new Cruiserweight division. But Kota had told them no, and he’d come home, because he _couldn’t_ forget, no matter how badly he wanted to. Now, by some incredible grace Kenny didn't deserve, the Golden Lovers were reunited and working on being a team again, inside the ring and out. It was slow, messy, difficult work, but Kenny felt like he'd never tire of it; he had never wanted _anything_ more than he wanted this. Kota later told Kenny that he’d come home in part to see if they could work things out.  _They could never_ _have appreciated you enough anyway._  Still, Kenny couldn’t imagine how Kota felt now, watching a life he could have had. “I know you said you wouldn’t be happy wrestling there, but there’s got to be some part of you that’s _a little_ sad you didn’t just win at WrestleMania.”

Kota crinkled his nose in thought, staring into space. “No… there isn’t,” he said slowly, as though he was a little surprised by the answer. “No. You’re right, I wouldn’t have been happy there.” He took Kenny’s hand, still staring straight ahead. “We’ve got work to do, but I’m not walking around feeling like a piece of me is missing, now.” _You and me both, Buu-san._ Kota leaned his head on Kenny’s shoulder, and Kenny put an arm around him. “Nakamura-san said, ‘you can have WrestleMania, or you can have happiness. But you aren’t the sort of person who can have both.’ He was right."

Kenny laughed, because Nakamura _was_ right: Kota was too free-spirited for the tightly-controlled WWE.  _And you'll never know how much I love you for that._

Kota sighed a little sadly. "I really _don’t_ care about WrestleMania. I’d choose happiness every time.”

Kenny squeezed Kota to his chest as tightly as he could, and pressed a fervent, grateful kiss into the top of his head. _You deserve it._

**Author's Note:**

> I am complete and utter one-track-minded trash, so when Cedric said "you all chanted 'please sign Cedric'", the first thing I thought was "that was after his match with Ibushi!" Then this happened. Of course, this takes place from the POV of someone I _know_ surpasses me as Ibushi trash, and might have had the same thought I did. Necessary, because Kota needed a memory jog the last time someone asked him about Cedric Alexander—he didn't remember who Cedric was!—so he definitely wouldn't have remembered that detail on his own. This also references a meeting Ibushi had with Shinsuke Nakamura, which he says helped him make the decision not to sign with WWE, and an interview in which Kota said he didn't sign with WWE in part so he could come back to Japan and try to continue the Golden Lovers storyline.


End file.
